Students in Brevard County gathered Thursday night to discuss the changes they want to see following the school shooting in Parkland.

At an event put on by the Space Coast Progressive Alliance, teenagers from Melbourne High School, Heritage High School, West Shore Junior/Senior High School and the Florida Institute of Technology talked about gun laws and the recent proposal by Brevard County sheriff Wayne Ivey to arm some school employees.

The majority of the group of students agreed that assault weapons, like the AR-15 Nikolas Cruz used at Marjory Stoneman High in Parkland, should be banned and that teachers should not be armed. Students also suggested policy change that would require citizens to renew their gun licenses on a regular basis.

A system to arm school staff members calls for 130 hours of training, vetting, psychological screenings and polygraph tests.(Photo: Michael Karas/NorthJersey.com)

While the group agreed that deeper background checks are needed, students were hesitant to keep those with mental illnesses from buying firearms.

“How do you define mental illness? What is your definition of mental illness?” said Carmel Alshaibi, a sophomore at Melbourne High School, referring to the vast number of American citizens who are diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

Instead, the students suggested provided better resources for those struggling with mental illness. Aidan Pollak, president of the senior class at Melbourne High School, recently traveled to Tallahassee with other student government members from Brevard’s high schools to lobby for more funding for social-emotional supports in schools.

Beyond the issues themselves, students also discussed the gaps they see in the United States’ democratic system. By gerrymeandering voting districts and allowing politicians to take money from organizations like the National Rifle Association, students said lawmakers are able to pass policies that the vast majority of their constituents don’t support.

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Michael Kahn(Photo: FLORIDA TODAY file)

Brevard Judge A.B. Majeed and constitutional lawyer Michael Kahn moderated the event and encouraged the group of students to stay involved. Hundreds of students from Heritage High School walked out of class for 17 minutes - one for each victim in the Parkland shooting - last week, and more schools are planning walkouts March 14, marking a week since the shooting.

“Don’t quit walking out, make those public officials answer to you,” Kahn told the group. “The movements that we have sensed haven’t come from the adults. It’s coming from you.”